Getting website copy written: 8 steps to success
Getting website copy written: 8 steps to success
Do you want to attract more customers with your website, but simply don't have the time in your busy workday to create compelling content? You know that contents that convert require expertise that goes beyond mere writing? In this blog post, I'll show you what you can outsource when it comes to website copywriting, and in what order. This way, you avoid losing time and effort when outsourcing […]
Do you want to attract more customers with your website, but simply don't have the time in your busy workday to create compelling content? You know that contents that convert require expertise that goes beyond mere writing? In this blog post, I'll show you what you can consider when outsourcing website copy, and in what order. This way, you won't waste any time by outsourcing, and your website will perform exactly as you envision it.
What you can expect in this post
Decision 1: Should website contents be written professionally – or written by oneself?
The first decision is: write the content yourself or have it written for you?
If you're reading this, you probably lack the internal resources or know-how to write web content yourself. Sure, creating website content is usually time-consuming and complex – you know that as well as I do.
Especially if SEO has a high priority or your target group requires a special approach (products that need explanation, B2B customers, etc.).
So ask yourself realistically: What does the content plan say? How much capacity do you have available in your team? And who can do what?
- If your planning exceeds your available capacity: Have website contents written
- If your planning requires skills that no one on the team has: Have the website contents written professionally
Based on this information, you can make an informed decision and justify the necessary budget to your boss.
If you decide to have your website contents written professionally, a professional can not only do it faster, but you also save valuable team resources.
2. Copywriter selection: Quality saves time
If you've been working in marketing for a while, you know that buying cheap contents or having them automatically generated comes at a price. It means a lot of editing work for you and your team.
Often the corrections are so time-consuming that you could have just written the content yourself.
Professionals, on the other hand, know what they are doing.
This way, the website content is perfect from the start or only requires minimal corrections. And you save time – and frustration.
3. SEO: Yes or no?
There are exactly two scenarios:
- Is search engine optimization important for your company? Professional copywriters specializing in SEO have a good understanding of Google and other search engines.
They know how to formulate key messages effectively and present your brand in the best possible way.
Often, the quality of outsourced web contents can be better than that of self-written content.
(Although I know some excellent full-time copywriting professionals. So it depends on who's on your team.)
- SEO is irrelevant to you? In that case, pay particular attention to writing style and grammar in the content samples.
4. Have web contents created – with a strategy
If you want your website to rank on page 1 of Google, you need an SEO content strategy.
This should include relevant keywords, search intent, and content length. Such a roadmap serves as the basis for having relevant website contents written that actually contribute to your marketing goals.
Make sure that the copywriting professional you choose is knowledgeable about strategic copywriting.
By the way, I explain how to create an SEO content strategy in the blog post "Creating an SEO content strategy - in 5 1/2 steps".
5. Landing pages or blog articles – which contents should be written professionally?
No, you can have contents written not only for important landing pages or the homepage. (Although these web contents are of course particularly important for SEO.)
Besides sales pages, blog articles also benefit from good content. On your blog, you can inform customers about products, services, and news.
And informational content is an important part of every sales funnel.
Blog posts are also important for search engines : Google and other search engines measure the amount of time people spend on your blog posts and reward this with good rankings.
Contents on important niche topics (so-called long-tail keywords) are particularly suitable if you are considering outsourcing web contents.
6. How long should website contents be?
Ideally, the answer to that lies in your content strategy.
The ideal content length always depends on your customer's search intent and which search results are most relevant to that intent.
The fact that the content contains all the important information is therefore more crucial than its length itself.
When briefing for website copywriting, focus primarily on your client and their current preferences:
Often, short content that is well-researched and informatively written ranks higher than a long, unstructured, or boring content.
The rule is always: no shorter than 300 words, no longer than necessary.
7. What search intent do you want to have content written for?
To ensure the content is good, you should include the search intent in the briefing if you want to have web text written:
Would customers like
- Can you get general information from the content?
- Compare products?
- buy a specific product?
- Do you have questions or need advice?
If you can answer that, the search intent is automatically determined.
This information allows copywriters to address customer needs and create helpful content.
The result: Visitors typically stay on your website for a long time or convert directly. They simply have no reason to look any further.
8. Monolingual or multilingual web contents?
Having website contents written in multiple languages – does that make sense?
If you're only targeting local customers: probably not.
If your business is to be successful internationally, multilingual SEO contents are a key to tapping into new markets: You no longer only rank on google.de, but also on google.com or google.co.uk, for example.
In this case, it's really helpful multilingual copywriting professionals on your side who are very familiar with other cultures. Native-speaking SEO translators can also support you here, especially if you already have high-quality content on your German-language website.
But before you get started: It's worth developing a multilingual SEO content strategy. Multilingual keyword research is crucial for this, as keywords and search intent can rarely be translated directly.
Finally, make sure to adjust the existing metadata accordingly.
9. Plagiarism check: Unique content instead of copy and paste
Plagiarism is unacceptable. There's no way around truly unique content if you want a good website. (And believe me: so many have tried.) Google is simply too clever these days and detects duplicate content very quickly.
Plagiarism in SEO contents can lead to search engines penalizing your website. This can go so far as to result in your website being removed from search results and simply no longer being displayed to potential customers.
A complete disaster.
When you commission website copy, you should check whether it's original content. This is especially important if you're hiring a copywriter for the first time. (Here I'll show you how to easily spot plagiarism.)
Do you want to have website contents written for you?
Do you have a question, an SEO or content marketing project? I look forward to hearing from you.
Writing website copy takes a lot of time and expertise. With over 7 years of experience in writing engaging web content, I'm happy to support you with this challenge.
